A Song for Maria
by cosmonautfield
Summary: AU. Levi dropped out of university and took up a job playing piano at Maria's because his friend owns the place and he has nothing better to do. He does know that the new busboy, Eren Yeager, is annoying. What he doesn't know is that Eren's scribbles in his notebooks is going to get him closer and closer to the man he has pined over for years.
1. Chapter 1

_It wasn't the moon or stars shining through his window, because those could barely cast even half as strong a glow as what was leaking through his curtains now. As he walked up to the fluttering cloth and lifted a flap to peer outside, his breath caught and the chainmail he'd slid off his arms and chest that he clutched loose in one hand dropped down to the floor with a clink-heavy thud._

_Dozens of oil lamps burned at the window facing opposite his, and the man framed by those little lights, his lord who he'd fought with during countless terrible battles in the past, stood frozen in time with his eyes shut and the collar of his bed shirt fluttering with the wind that dared to try and blow out his lanterns. He looked tired and ready for a good night's rest, and the knight with his cool gaze bid silent prayer after prayer for his lord's slumber to stay settled until dawn._

_From his window, behind his curtain, he watched as the other simply stood in place, a statue that moved with the slightest hint of respiration, and he kept his gaze marked on his lord's thin lips when they parted to breathe death upon the tiny flames of each lantern. When a delicate hand smoothed over the man's sleeping tunic and the golden-red tresses of his wife's hair slipped into view, the prying man finally turned away and pleaded for the darkness of his room to consume his jealousy as it did his form._

* * *

Parking spaces at Maria's weren't marked with white lines or slabs of stone drilled into the asphalt. The asphalt itself was flecked with loose rocks from the road that had come apart from years of wear under tires and lack of repair. The only indicator of where to park was how well a driver could fit his car next to another one without blocking anyone else or ending up on the main road. The owner's car always sat tucked between the fence and the back of the building and right behind that car was where Levi chose to park every day that he came to work since Maria's was part-house and the owner, Erd, never left the place past 2 P.M. on a work day.

When Levi pulled into his usual spot, he did so with the usual ritual of tapping his front bumper lightly at Erd's trunk and leaving a few inches of space between his right rearview mirror and the fence. He switched the car into park before shutting off the engine and battery, then he tucked his keys into the front pocket of the canvas messenger bag sitting on his passenger seat. An annoyed look crossed his face as he bent down to retrieve his belongings that had been scattered onto the floor when he'd slammed his breaks eight minutes ago in order to prevent his car from T-boning someone who'd run a red. He'd had an accident the previous month and though Erd said the scratch running from the front left tire all along the side to the gas door made for an interesting battle scar against this year's freshmen, Levi still took up extra hours to work so he could pay off the paint job as quickly as he could. He was still cutting corners to make ends meet.

He zipped his bag shut and slid his arm through the shoulder strap before stepping out of his car, locking the doors with the fob sitting on the inner arm rest and shutting the door as his eyes roamed over the sleek black, dent and scratch-free exterior. He caught a patch of stray hairs sticking out of his head via his reflection in the window and combed it down with his fingers before making his way between Maria's back wall and Erd's car. The back door was unlocked as it usually was and Levi stepped through it, not bothering with the lights or his shoes as he by-passed the shoe rack and the staircase that led straight up to the bedrooms. This side of the building was where the bar ended and the house began, so it felt odd to him to be walking around with shoes on. The hallway to the door leading out to the bar was short though and when he settled his hand on the doorknob, he could hear the blaring trumpet of Doc Cheatham that jumped in volume with its backup band as soon as he swung the door open.

Erd sat at one of the tables with three different notebooks surrounding him. He always preferred bookkeeping by hand as opposed to using a computer, something his uncle had done when he'd been in charge of the place. Erd liked to call it tradition. When Levi passed by him, he muttered a quiet, "Hey," that Erd returned just as quietly. Levi didn't have to look down to know that the three books were Maria's budgeting and inventory and Erd's personal planner, because it was Tuesday, the first day of the week for the bar, and that meant Erd was going to order from the local brewery since he'd probably made a full stock count the night before.

"There's a new draft I want to add to our taps," Erd said without looking up. Levi placed his bag atop the counter the stereo was encased in and popped one of the glass doors open so he could turn the volume down. Erd always had it up too high.

"Another fruity beer?" Levi asked while walking around the bar counter so he could enter the back kitchen. There was a plate of cookies sitting atop the cold, steel table with a note taped to the plastic wrap, and he gave it a quick read over before grabbing a cup from the drying rack and filling it up with juice from the fridge. He headed back out with both his drink and the plate. Erd was looking up at him and nodded when he saw the cookies.

"Petra made them," Erd said.

"So I read," Levi answered and took a seat at an adjacent table to Erd, because he liked personal space and he simply wouldn't have any with all those books lying out on the table.

He took a bite from one cookie and tapped the plate toward Erd so it slid closer to him on the smooth tabletop. He reached over and got a handful for himself and Levi watched as the crumbs fell to the floor, scattering about and looking like simple granules of dust as opposed to something that could be food for unwanted pests. He always vacuumed and scrubbed the floor every night as soon as the last customer left though, even if there were busboys that should've done the job. However, they were new so he couldn't trust them yet to do the cleaning right.

He finished off the cookie and ate another one, his eyes scanning over the little note bedecked with green and blue hearts and a drawing of what was probably supposed to be Petra. She was Erd's younger sister, just a little shorter than Levi, and she liked making food like two-bite brownies and one-munch cookies. She worked at a cupcake shop on the other side of the university that sold nothing but thickly frosted cupcakes along with hand-made knickknacks like squirrel plush toys made out of socks. It was a kitschy place and her brother and Levi thought it suited her well. She'd always been excellent with desserts and forced her original recipes onto Maria's two owners who she dubbed as her guinea pigs, not that they ever minded.

The cookies were crunchy, the way Levi liked them, and tasted of butter and almonds. He had a third one before flicking the crumbs from his fingers – onto the other cookies of course – and took a sip of the grapefruit juice he'd poured. It was sourer than he thought it'd be and he gave his lips a few seconds of puckering up before drinking more.

He always used Maria's tiny kitchen to store some of his own groceries since he was around often enough, and on a good day he'd be making a late lunch for both himself and Erd, but it seemed they'd silently agreed that the cookies would be enough for the day as they continued eating one after the other. Maria's was known for the range of beers Erd put out on tap, some of which were switched around depending on the season, but the bar also had a reputation for popping out fries and sandwiches that all the local papers raved about. It wasn't because of the owners though. Levi was certain the food he and Erd made was edible and nothing else.

"So," Levi began and looked up at Erd who was busily scratching away with his fine-point pen while clacking at a calculator. His eyes flicked up to acknowledge Levi after a minute passed, and then the previous conversation continued as if there hadn't been a pause for an unhealthy lunch.

"It's a third beer made from soybeans," Erd explained and continued to crunch numbers. His eyes scanned over a few lines in one book, moved to another, and after punching in some more keys and making more notes, he nodded. "We'll have enough to try it out and a lot of customers have asked us to take it up. We should give it a go. Profits will be good because you know how everyone likes trying the new stuff."

"Are you talking about those hippy kids? Or whatever they call themselves. With the glasses and flannel," Levi said with his eyebrows pinched together as he brushed the last of the crumbs from his fingers. He was quick to annoy when it had anything to do with one of "those kids" because of how they talked only about original, unheard music and compared Levi with bands named after food groups or solo artists who liked to cry halfway during an official recording. He'd been forced to listen to some of their music when Erd let a group of them commandeer his stereo. It was the one and only time he'd ever allowed it, quickly regretting his decision as the room was filled with an eerie whispering. Even if "those kids" were prohibited from sharing anymore of their music while in Maria's, and most of them had learned not to bother Levi past a quick greeting, some of them would still crowd around a bit too tightly which left Levi with a need for a rail, or perhaps an entire cage.

After finishing up his juice, Levi took his cup and the empty plate back into the kitchen, setting them in the sink to be washed later. He ran the tap over his hands and dried them on a towel before heading back out onto the floor and over to the baby grand piano sitting in the corner. The worn, brown cover was still thrown over it and Levi stared at the thin layer of dust that had already accumulated after two days. He slowly removed the thick cloth, trying to fold it without letting it touch his clothes, and then he set it beneath the piano and pulled up the key top. His fingers glided over the cool keys, once white but now tinged with the yellow of age and play, and he pressed a few down, playing a soft accompaniment to the melody the Doc blasted freely and wildly through Erd's stereo.

"Go ahead and get it," he told Erd and took a seat, knowing that his friend had already planned on doing so and only asked because Levi was unofficially in charge as well.

Erd shut his books, picked up the phone he'd sat at the other end of the table, and stood with everything cradled in one arm.

"I'll give Erwin a call," he said and paused on the way to his office, eyes on Levi, waiting.

"You do that," was all the answer Levi gave with a brief glance over his shoulder.

He heard Erd shut the door to his office and settled his hands atop the keys, ears straining to listen as he heard the call go through and straight to the man himself. For a brief second, his fingers curled tight until the nails hit flesh before they broke out a burst of notes that outdid the Doc in both volume and speed.

The song wasn't jazz or swing and definitely not the blues, but a piece he'd been practicing with one of his Monday night students, a girl of fifteen whose eyes were on Juilliard and the stage of a big time Symphony Orchestra. He wasn't sure which one since she'd never mentioned a name, but given her personality Levi was sure she didn't have a specific one in mind.

The piano creaked beneath his strong movements and he hardly paid any attention to the volume he was playing at, becoming lost in his thoughts as to why his student had trouble properly playing this song. It was a classical piece and part of a repertoire he'd put together himself after doing some research a few months back, when the girl's mother told him what the lifelong goal was and offered to pay him extra if her kid hit an audition well. Levi wasn't in any place to turn down extra money. He'd even taken it upon himself to add some theory into each private lesson and gave away his old books after erasing all the notes to make it look new. The girl's mother had thrown in extra cash to keep them.

When Levi reached the end of the first movement, he heard the office door open and Erd shuffling out. He took liberty with the fermata on the last note, head tilting to one side while the notes blurred as they faded.

"-tonight? Aren't you busy?" Erd said behind him and then the door was shut again and Levi hunched his shoulders before moving on to the second movement.

Together, the first two movements played at the correct tempo and with observance of the repeat symbols equaled to a little less than twenty minutes, and Levi made sure to get the timing as exact as possible, knowing whether or not he had without the use of a timer. He preferred to follow a composer's instructions to the point where he could see every accented mark and dynamic for every note in every stanza that scrolled through his mind like an old Dixie roller as he played. He'd performed pieces that lasted close to an hour, broke a sweat while doing so, and felt incomplete by the end of it if he'd chosen not to heed a _D.S. al coda_ or sped up on a certain passage. He could care less about the symbols he wrote down for his own compositions though, but that was because he never played the same song of his twice, even if he'd bothered writing the entirety of it down. His works always had room for improvisations and improvements.

The end of the second movement was the repetition of a melody from the first, hastened and with notes that collided to form a brusque harmony that grew louder until stopping abruptly with three final chords played like a pulse. When Levi's hands snapped back from the keys, they hovered tense above his lap while the final notes rang dim in his ears before he settled them down onto the piano bench's cushion that he always used to soak up the sweat on his palms. He dug his nails deep into the broken leather and looked up at the front door when the knob rattled against its lock.

His eyes narrowed and he turned to look at the clock sitting above the back door that he'd entered from earlier. The shop had three hours to go before opening and Gunther would be coming in late today, which thinned down Levi's guesses as to who could possibly be coming so early.

The office door swung open once again and he listened to the click of Erd's shoes on the wooden floor as the man walked over to unlock the front door.

"Idiots. What did I tell them?" Levi muttered with a roll of his eyes. He cast a glare at the younger man with dark brown hair and big eyes that seemed to constantly switch between the highest levels of varying emotions who walked into Maria's naturally lit front-of-the-house. Then he watched as Erd began parting the curtains of the mid-wall to ceiling windows, leaving the slightly transparent ones shut. It was too early.

When the newest worker looked over at him and waved, Levi only offered a lazy shrug in return. The other kid, Jean, was nowhere to be seen and Levi figured that he probably had other things to do, like living his life outside of work. This boy, Eren, was lucky that Erd was a lonely guy and actually liked hanging around university kids. It's why he bothered accepting Maria's from his uncle instead of opening up his own bar in an actual city, a dream he'd reminded Levi of over and over since their first sip of beer back in high school up to the day Levi had told him he was dropping out of university during their third year and Erd replied with his change of heart.

"Hey, Levi," Eren greeted as he slipped his backpack from his shoulders and made his way over to the table closest to the piano, a wide grin stretching his lips, "Good I came early. I need to talk to you."

Levi clicked his tongue and summoned a Bartók piece with heavy fingers that set out to butcher the tune, if that was even possible considering it was Béla Bartók.

"We can talk later, then," Eren shouted with much patience and enthusiasm.

When Levi reached the end of the song, his arms ached with how hard and terribly he'd just played, and he glanced over to see Eren sitting at a table with some homework spread out in front of him. Levi had an idea as to what Eren thought they needed to have a talk about and wasn't ready to deal with the twenty-year old's lovesick issues. Just last week, Eren, who maybe thought Levi was someone worthy of confiding in after knowing him for only a half hour, shared that he was, "openly gay since starting university but maybe a little bi, not sure actually."

The problem wasn't his confession, Levi could care less, but Erd thought it would be funny to let it slip that Levi was more of the thing Eren maybe was. Since then, and this was only his fifth day seeing Eren, Levi would constantly be thrown the strangest of questions, most of which he didn't answer. It wasn't any of Eren's business how many women he'd slept with before trying out a few men or what kinks he wanted to explore. Levi wasn't even sure of how to answer some of Eren's oddest inquiries since he preferred not to immerse himself in matters of the bed. There were plenty more things in his life that took priority, even if he acted like everything he had to live with was just that, things that he had to live with.

He took a moment now to massage his forearms and looked around to see where Erd was. The stereo had gone quiet, having played through all the tracks, and Levi was torn between continuing to play in order to fill up the silence or taking a break and popping in another CD. He spotted Erd sitting at the counter with a lit cigarette in an ashtray, and when the man glanced up at him he immediately turned away, eyes focusing on the silent keyboard. He stood to open up the piano lid and pushed up the music rack even though he'd never used it for its intended purpose. Grand pianos just didn't look complete without that board of wood sticking up though. He'd been told this plenty of times before.

"Hey, Levi," Erd called over just as he'd settled his hands back onto the cold piano keys.

Levi tilted his head to the side, a sign he was listening.

"Erwin's coming around 9:30," Erd continued without even the slightest hint of a taunt in his tone.

There was a rustling of paper and the scratch of a chair on the floor, both caused by Eren, but Levi read and reread the faded piano brand name printed on the underside of the key top before beginning a song that opened with low notes that mimicked the rolling of thunder. It quickly grew in volume as he pushed down on the keys with his entire body and not just his hands. He wanted to drown out the thoughts that circulated in his mind but they multiplied with the power of his song and warped like the muddy triplets played by the graceful falling and lifting movements of his arms. He barely lifted his foot off the pedal to further meld one note into the next and let the tumultuous piece surround him.

He didn't see how Eren's face brightened as he played, didn't see the young man throw a small notebook atop his textbook, cap his highlighter, and begin to furiously scribble with the dull point of his pencil. Levi didn't see how the lead of the mechanical utensil snapped under the pressure of Eren's hand nor how Eren clicked rapidly to replenish the supply with eyes narrowed in concentration. The only thing Levi saw was the message so casually passed on to him by Erd, physically written out on the reel in his head that never seemed to stop rotating as long as he was playing. He wished now to completely envelop himself in the discord of his music as those four words, "Erwin's coming around 9:30," repeated themselves over and over as silent lyrics that accompanied his deafening song.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I rewrote chapter one, so please go back and reread it before continuing on with this chapter.

* * *

The bar opened at five on Tuesday to Thursday nights and the first customers were mainly kids who wanted a quiet place to study and have an early dinner, maybe an early drink, as well as the occasional guests who'd been going to Maria's since Erd's uncle had been the boss. While the students buried themselves in their textbooks, some of the older patrons just coming in from work sat at the counter and made the usual small talk with Erd while others sat at the tables closest to the piano and nursed their drinks while calling out requests to Levi that were granted as long as he knew the song well enough.

Tonight, as usual, the first crowd was gone by seven thirty and Erd flipped a sign in the window that read, "Drinks only," since the food was very much at its end. It didn't hinder people from coming in though because even though Maria's had great food, most people coming in well after sunset did so solely for the beers on tap. It wasn't cheap but it was better than the domestics other nearby bars sold, and the ambience crafted from Levi's playing served as an extra incentive to come and stay for at least one drink.

Levi played for as long as he wanted to before taking small breaks to rest his hands and oversee that the place was running smoothly since Erd usually had his hands full with orders. Tonight, he took his second break a half-hour to nine and let his piano grow cold as he made his way over to the counter where Erd was filling up two pitchers for Eren to serve to a table. It'd only been a week but Levi felt he'd already forgotten what it was like without actual servers in Maria's. When Erd's uncle had been in charge, Maria's was quieter since the piano was more of a decoration and he didn't extend his products into imports, so he only needed his nephew, niece, and occasional friend to run the place. As Levi glanced around the room, he offered silent thanks to Petra for suggesting and even running the interviews for hired help. He wasn't even sure how they'd managed the place with just three people, sometimes four when Petra started dating and her boyfriend decided to help out, because once Erd took over business slowly rose and Maria's became a local recommendation for anyone new coming in to the fairly small city. Now, Levi could take breaks from playing as opposed to playing as a way of taking a break from serving.

When he passed by a table with two nameless yet familiar faces, he was asked to play play an original song and replied with a silent tilt of his head. Anyone who'd ever requested a song from him knew not to ask again once he gave that simple gesture of acknowledgment and acceptance. It was clear the requestor wasn't new to the place and settled back in his seat while Levi slid onto his usual seat at the end of the bar.

"Water for you," Erd said as he placed a glass down atop a coaster from Montreal, a present from a loyal customer who liked to chip in to the collection sitting under the counter on Erd's side, started by the former owner who'd done extensive soul-searching from one continent to the next before he found inspiration, settled down in the town neighboring the one he'd grown up in, and opened his own bar. Maria's had hundreds of coasters from around the world, most of which had been gifts, and it was another characteristic of the place that the local papers said added to the charm.

Levi wrapped his fingers around the chilled glass and turned so he could scan the crowd. Almost every seat was filled and the hum of chitchat grew in volume when it became apparent that the background music would be put on hold. Another someone with a face Levi was sure he'd seen before waved over at him and he allowed his eyes to finish scanning over the tables before downing half his glass of water, watching from the corners of his eyes as Erd filled up two tall glasses with their darkest beer before placing them on the counter for Eren to usher away. Nothing was on the floor and nothing had to be cleared from any tables. Levi leaned forward to rest one arm on the counter.

Erd was the only bartender in the place even though Levi had his license, and luckily the majority of drinks could be served in seconds, even on the busiest of nights. Erd wasn't great with inventing his own cocktails or serving up ones that were different from any other bar since his main focus was what came in a keg, but he would mix a few things here and there if requested and the only people who ever asked for something other than beer either had rather low expectations or, Levi guessed, just wanted an excuse to talk with Erd.

Levi finished up his water and when Erd had a free second to take it from him, he glanced behind the man at the open door leading to the kitchen and watched as Gunther busily prepared some potatoes. He was always prepping food for the following day the night before, except on Saturday nights for obvious reasons, and even though he was getting busier with school, which was another reason for the new hired help, he made sure to do his work as usual before clocking out for the evening. He was diligent, had plenty of back-of-the-house experience, and it was good he still wanted to hang around even when graduate school had thrown a heavy weight upon his shoulders.

Levi glanced up at the time to make sure Gunther would be able to leave when he needed to. It was almost nine. His eyes darted away from the minute hand and he downed the rest of his water before seeking out Eren, who was busily wiping down a table that had recently been vacated before moving on to another one still filled up with customers. He'd be up for a break soon once Jean came back from his, and Levi made sure everyone got every minute of their half hour off that they were promised, or more if they looked to be needing it. Even Erd, who made the rules and tried not to abide by them since he seemed to think that being the boss meant never taking some time away from work, was given the same fair treatment. Levi always had to remind him that since he lived where he worked, he should make it a priority to go outside at least once during the day.

When the clock finally struck nine, Levi turned his attention to Eren once more and waited for the younger man to look up so he could motion him over to tell him to go drag Jean back in. Right as Eren looked his way, he raised up a hand and clicked his tongue when, the glasses on Eren's serving tray tipped over and the liquid inside of them splashed all over the floor. Luckily, the cups hadn't fallen to the floor, but nonetheless Levi's face fell into a frown while Eren went into a fluster and the surrounding guests offered a teasing applause.

Levi breathed in sharply and looked through the corner of his eye as the backdoor opened and Jean walked through it. Right on time.

"Go clean that up," he ordered and Jean was quick to shove his phone into his pocket and do as he was told. He and Eren had learned very quickly to obey any order from their superiors, especially if it had anything to do with cleaning.

Erd and Levi hated messes and sometimes the former would stop midway through filling out an order so he could grab a rag and clean up a spill on the table at the far-end of the bar. Both Eren and Jean were still having some difficulty keeping an eye out for fallen napkins or a chair out of place while taking orders and trying not to drop anything. On their second night of work, Levi had quit playing mid-song so he could go into the kitchen, grab a cloth, and wipe at a spill near the counter that Erd had missed. Erd had been too busy mixing some drinks to notice, either that or he'd been waiting on Jean to do something about it, and Levi was pretty sure Jean still had no idea how he'd known of the mess since his back was always turned to the bar whenever he played. The look he'd flashed him as he passed by on the way back to the piano after washing his hands was enough to get the message across of how important cleanliness was at Maria's.

"They learn fast," Erd said with a chuckle and watched with Levi as Jean disappeared to get a mop while Eren profusely apologized to the guests. Levi doubted they cared much. They hadn't planned on finishing those drinks after all and from the looks on their bleary eyed, red faces, they'd probably been here long enough tonight and were ready to go.

"You really should impose a time limit. Two hours, tops," he suggested to Erd and Erd opened his mouth to respond when Gunther suddenly popped out of the kitchen with his apron off, sleeves rolled down, and a baseball cap sitting at an angle on his head.

"Have a good night," he said and Erd reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, stopping him on his way to the front door.

"You want a drink before you go?" he asked.

"He has to study. He can drink with us another night," Levi cut in and cast a sideways glance at Gunther who let out a laugh, agreeing to join them some other day. He knew Levi wouldn't hold him to it.

With a quick wave to Jean he was out the door and Levi turned to check whether or not the spill on the floor had been cleaned up. It had and Jean was now collecting payment from the customers whose drinks he'd just wiped up. Levi was glad they were leaving, not wanting to deal with anyone on the brink of intoxication or already far past the line, and judging by the way some of them walked and how loud their laughter was as they made their way out the door he was sure that the line had been crossed.

He finished his cup of water and headed back to the piano, passing by the kid who'd made a request of him earlier and asking whether or not he still wanted that original song. He received an enthusiastic nod from both him and his table mate.

"Anything new, Levi?" he asked as Levi took a moment to clear away the table since Jean was busy and it was never good to just have dirty cups sitting around. He noted the genuine interest in the eyes that gazed up at him but didn't reply and merely took the used glasses back to Erwin and told Jean to throw more dishes in the washing rack while thinking about the scrawl of notes and symbols on lined paper that sat on his keyboard rack back in his tiny studio apartment.

He wiped his hands, did a once over of the place, then went through the mental list of songs he'd written, choosing one that frequent guests would recognize. He slid onto the piano bench and the volume of chatter lowered as he played.

He wrote music now and then, a hobby of his since high school when he realized that while he enjoyed improvising songs, there were times when he could actually make something completely new and different out of whatever melody his mind cranked out at that moment. On most nights at Maria's, he would play one or two of his own pieces and when asked for the titles or recordings, he'd simply state that they didn't exist. Sometimes the songs he played were created right then and there on a total whim, melodies and harmonies that he spun out of an old tune that felt stale. Once in a while, he'd take an offered music player, plug in his own pair of headphones that he kept tucked in his bag close by, and listen to see if something new could be sparked.

As his right hand plucked out the final notes that ran a melody alongside the steady arpeggio of his left, he got the feeling that someone was standing right at the edge of the stage, and he had to hold back from slamming out the final stanza when he glanced up and saw Erwin. He almost missed the final chord and had to force his foot to rise slowly from the pedal so that the last notes wouldn't be cut off suddenly. When he deemed the blurred sound dim enough to completely remove his foot, he settled his hands onto his lap and nodded to Erwin, barely noticing the scattered applause.

"Hey," he greeted while he wriggled his fingers, twisted his wrists, and tensed up his arms as he stretched them

"How are you?" Erwin asked. Levi could barely hear him above the buzz that grew into scattered noise as the guests either packed up for the night or rang in their new orders.

"Fine," he replied as he stepped down from the stage and made his way back to the bar. He glanced up at the clock while sliding into his usual seat and Erwin settled down in the chair beside him. Eren was due to be back from his break soon.

Erd made his way over with a mug of beer and glass if water, settling the darker drink in front of Erwin on a coaster from Vegas.

"Something new," he said with shining eyes and Erwin laughed. He'd been the one to convince Erd to put this one on tap, after all.

"Thanks," he said with a bemused expression and took a sip.

Erd placed the glass for Levi atop a coaster from Dublin, but Levi was too busy watching as the froth that settled itself on Erwin's lip was quickly licked away to give his thanks.

"It's good," Erwin said and Erd laughed this time before turning his attention to Jean who'd been rocking back and forth on his feet while waiting. The younger man paused and blinked slowly when he saw Erwin, a look of curiosity passing over his face, and his eyes shifted every now and then to the corners as he spoke to Erd.

"It's been three weeks," Levi noted after he wet his throat and Erwin set his mug down gently after taking another, longer drink.

"New school year, new season," he replied, exhaling the final syllable, and he finished up his beer and signaled Erd for another one. "I see you've made some changes to the place," he observed and Levi followed his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at Jean who quickly looked down at the table he'd been wiping. "Busy?"

Levi emptied his glass and handed it over to Erd, face remaining passive even when his friend's brow shot up over eyes that wouldn't stop sneaking glimpses at his seatmate.

"Beer?" Erd inquired with a hint of a dare in his voice. He was already pouring one before Levi could refuse. Levi took the glass and downed half of it, exhaling slowly and quietly to keep from shuddering at the bitter taste. He placed his mug on his dampened coaster and turned when Erwin offered him a short applause.

"This is rare," he mused as he drank from his own glass, eyes tapering at the edges and tongue peeking out to clear away the leftover drink from the edge of his lips. Levi licked his own.

"I always drink with you," he said and slumped on his stool while crossing his arms atop the counter. Behind him, a table rang loud with laughter and he took a brief glimpse when he heard Jean talking with the rowdy group, probably school friends of his.

"Three weeks. Any new music?" he heard Erwin ask and he whipped his head back around, trying to look anywhere else but at the eyes that stared into him.

He tightened his fingers into fists before slowly relaxing them, continuing the motion again and again while a melody he'd known for about a month now began to play softly in his head.

"Not really. Well…"

"Well?"

It was a tune he hummed to himself when surrounded by people who would've loved to lean in and listen, and the only time he ever released it from his mind was when he sat in front of his keyboard at home and read from crinkled sheets of paper marked with eraser smudges and penciled notations.

"I'm working on something," was his curt reply and he grabbed his glass and tipped the rest of the chilled drink down his throat, swallowing fast so the taste wouldn't linger longer than he wanted it to. He shuddered this time.

Erwin drank as well and Levi didn't catch the interested glint in the man's eyes, too busy staring at the back door that opened and Eren walking back in from his break. Levi had no idea what he did or where he went during his half hour because Eren didn't have a car and Maria's only neighbor was a plaza with a sandwich shop, a dry cleaner, and three empty spaces for lease. He didn't really care to know any of Eren's business anyhow, except the look of contentment on the younger man's face that twisted into one of shock as he froze there in the threshold made Levi wonder about the cause for the change. Then he realized that Eren was staring past him and at the man sitting beside him.

Levi turned his head to see what Erwin could possibly be doing to have caused such a strong, negative reaction, but all he was doing was lighting up a cigarette. Levi grabbed an ashtray from the end of the table and set it in front of his companion.

"Thanks," Erwin said after breathing in and releasing a smoky trail. He licked his lips, took another drag, and aimed upwards. Levi watched the thin line of gray that fanned out inches from Erwin's pressed lips.

"Eren!"

Erd's voice snapped Levi back to attention. Eren walked past in front of him as he entered the area behind the counter, heading to where Erd was standing at the other end of the bar, and Levi watched as Erd held up some sheets of paper and ushered Eren over to the register. He caught the look of shock that crossed over the kid's face as he took one last glance at Erwin before ringing up the orders he'd been handed. The skin between Levi's brows wrinkled up as he mulled over the possible meaning behind those stolen glances. He breathed deep as Erwin breathed out and coughed lightly as he suddenly inhaled the man's smoke. He hadn't realized Erwin was sitting so close.

Erwin apologized, glanced up at the clock, and put out his cigarette. Levi watched as his fingers twisted the flame out from the half-burned stub.

"I should get going," Erwin said and shot Levi an apologetic smile. "Some other time, play for me."

He stood and Levi stood as well, eyes trained on Erwin's back as the man turned away and headed over to where Eren types away at the cash register. Erwin pulled out his wallet and Erd said something to him that made him tuck the folded leather back into his pants and respond with something that made the both of them laugh. All Levi noticed was how Eren couldn't stop staring at Erwin and frantically looked anywhere else when the man bid his farewells for the night.

Slight irritation set in when he caught on to what Erd had done and he walked over to his friend so he could address the issue of constantly offering people, even someone like Erwin, drinks on the house.

"You know the guy?" he heard Erd say to Eren. Some girl called out to Levi from a table but he ignored her and rounded about the bar on the other end. He grabbed a folded, damp rag lying on the counter and wiped at the few stray drops of various beverages Erd had missed.

"He's my professor," Eren said and Levi peeked up to see him standing with a hand on one hip and the other hovering above a corner of the cash register as it loudly spat out a long strip of transactions at him, "For one of my workshops."

"Ah, yeah. He wrote a book recently," Erd mused and turned to Jean who'd come over to take a seat at the bar. The shop had gone quiet since most of the customers left close to ten o' clock on weekday nights, but even if business was slow Erd was still a stickler for the rules, and he quickly reminded Jean of that trait when he said, "Off. I can get in trouble for even letting you sit there during open hours," in a sharp voice. Jean immediately hopped down and craned his neck from side to side.

"That was Professor Smith," he said to Eren who nodded absentmindedly while folding up the receipts he'd printed out before letting out a groan.

"I have a short story due in two days," he whined and tucked the sheets he'd folded into a box sitting on the inside shelf of the podium that the cash register sat on. With a worried sigh, he walked off to attend to a table and Erd shook his head and fished the papers back out, muttering to himself.

"Is that guy a friend?" Jean queried as he took to leaning right on the countertop Levi had just finished wiping up.

Someone walked in and took a seat at the counter.

"He co-owns the brewery I buy from," Erd told Jean as he made his way back behind the bar to attend to the newcomer.

Levi dropped the cloth he was holding into the bucket of soapy water sitting on the floor, bent down to give it a scrub, then squeezed the water out before refolding the cloth into a neat rectangle and setting it back where he'd found it. Jean was stretching out over the bar top and yawning.

"Go help them over there," Levi said to him while motioning to a table whose four occupants were all waving a hand for attention, but Eren had just finished up with the one he'd gone off to deal with and attended to them.

"I'll go wash stuff," Jean said and made his way into the kitchen.

Someone, the girl Levi had ignored before, was waving at him to come over, probably wanting to request a song, and he stared down at his hands as he flexed them, more than ready to play. In the dim light of the bar, he barely noticed how bright pink his palms had become from squeezing the washcloth too hard.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sometimes he has a book in his hands. Sometimes it's his phone that stays lit as he taps message after message or perhaps just one very long string of paragraphs that might talk about his day. Regardless of the words he reads or the ones he writes, I long to glance over his shoulder to see what tale his imagination plays with when the covers are shut and what story of the day he jots down for someone else to read. Someone who causes those lips that have only parted for me to place the usual coffee order, "Black, hot," to curl briefly at the corners when the message is finished and the phone is laid to rest. Someone who sometimes writes back fairly quickly and has urged almost a grin at times and a faster screen tapped response. Someone I've never seen but have grown to admire, to wish to know just as badly as his words, to fight back jealousy over when the third seat from the right at the window is vacated and the paper cup is tossed after another text battle has been won._

_I am never the victor._

* * *

The driveway was wide and arched like half an oval, with tiled stairs leading up to the front door set toward the center of the curve and an extra paved way leading up to the garage. A silver beamer sat at the foot of the stairs and Levi knew the silver Lexus was tucked in the safety of the garage, behind the automated, steel sliding door. He saw it sometimes when that opening was bared, but today it was shut due to the rain.

As always, he parked on the street and quickly tucked his phone and keys into his bag, reaching into the back seat to grab the umbrella that had made its place there after the past days of rainfall. He shouldered his belongings, opened the door just a little so he could lock the car again using the side toggles, and using his foot he pushed the door all the way open while simultaneously easing his umbrella free. A few droplets caught him on the hand but on the way up to the front door he stayed relatively dry. He wrapped his umbrella back up, slid it into its sleeve, and rang the doorbell, nodding when the curtain was pushed away and he saw the face of his Friday student's mother.

"Hello," he said when the door opened and she gave him a big smile, teeth and gums included.

"Levi! Oh, sorry it had to rain on a day you came out here," she said as if she was in control of the weather, "Come in! Do you need a towel? It's pouring hard!"

He shook his head and toed his shoes off even though this family wore theirs indoors, and told her not to worry about it when she tried to gather them up and set them inside.

"They'll drown out here! I'll just set them on a plastic bag or something," she said and he made his way into the dry, warmth of the home.

He barely glanced at himself in the wall mirrors but noted how the decorative potted plants in the foyer had changed yet again; Large stone urns with hibiscus, probably fake. The house had big windows so natural sunlight was the usual choice, but due to the heavy rain and thick clouds, the chandelier hanging in the living room was switched on and it cast a strong yellow glow throughout the darkened house.

"I'll go get Ymir. She's probably asleep," the woman said and made her way down the hallway.

Levi moved to the piano in the living room and set his bag down on the kitchen chair that was always settled beside the bench for him. He pulled out a pen, dropped his bag down on the floor, then rummaged through the pile of books sitting atop the piano for the notebook he wrote in during each lesson. He reread his cursive scrawl from the previous week and wondered if there would be any improvement. Ymir had been slacking lately and Levi wanted to say it was due to the new school year, her last until she went off to college, but according to her mother and the fact that the girl could easily sleep well until past her lesson time, there was something else keeping her from her music.

"Hey, Levi," came the greeting followed by a yawn and Levi didn't bother turning to the girl or offering a hello. He simply folded up the notebook, took a seat, and wrote down the day's date.

Ymir took a seat on the bench, scratched the back of her head, then looked right at him with a half-asleep glaze over her eyes. Levi frowned.

"Go wash your face and drink some water. This might be your house but you are still late by my watch and we won't start until you're actually fit to do so," he ordered and with a scowl the girl was up and doing as he bid. She used to refuse him in the past but then her mother got involved and she was smart enough to be bothered with the task as opposed to having her parent bother her.

Somewhere from down the hallway, Levi could hear the woman chirping angrily at her daughter about being punctual and proper in front of her teacher.

"He might be young but he isn't your friend! Have some respect!"

"Lay off!"

Levi glanced at the clock sitting above the piano and began subtracting and dividing time based on the usual lesson plan he constructed for each of his students. He got paid by the hour and at the moment, he had a little over forty minutes to go. Maybe he could cut back on drills and would assign her some theory homework. Even though she had a terrible attitude, she was surprisingly diligent when challenged, and nothing was more challenging to a young musician who'd never cared about the difference between a minor and major to study some new scales and chords and then have to play them back to him during their next lesson with simple verbal cues.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Professor Levi sir."

He looked up, face dull with indifference. When Ymir sat down on the bench, her back was straight as a wall and her hands were positioned one on the other on her lap. She smiled graciously at Levi and in all the time he'd taught her it was the most awkward thing she'd tried yet.

The exercise book was at the top of the pile on the piano and he wordlessly took it down and flipped through it before settling it down on the rack. She groaned when she saw the familiar Hanon drill and all the poise she'd conjured up after a verbal lashing from her mother immediately drained away. She slumped, her hands fell to the top of the bench, and Levi had to poke her in the back with his pen to get her back into position.

"One drill. Then we work on Scarlatti."

She whined.

The rain fell its hardest during the lesson and lightened to a mist when Levi picked up his shoes sitting atop a plastic grocery bag by the front door, bid his student's mother goodbye, and then made his way out. His umbrella was still damp but he didn't bother using it since the rain was light and he could use the bit of cool water on his head to put him back into his usual state of calm.

When he reached for his car keys, his phone went off and he took both out, using one hand to unlock the door while the other held up his mobile device. 'One new message' the screen said and he popped open his door, threw his bag across into the front seat, and settled behind the wheel before focusing on the text.

Levi shut his phone, dropped it, into a cup holder, and twisted the key in the ignition before heading off to Petra's work place. From Ymir's house, it would take about fifteen minutes, but traffic was slow due to the wet roads so he ended up on the road a little longer.

When he arrived, he didn't bother locking up his car but he did take his wallet from his bag with him into the small corner store. It sat in a tiny square plot occupied by seven uneven parking spaces and the summer sun had the paint fading in patches that had been covered up in spring. Bells hanging on the door jangled as Levi tugged it open and he was greeted by a soft chorus of voices from behind the glass display.

"That was quick!" Petra called to him while disappearing into the back, and she returned and stepped around the counter with a cardboard takeout box that had the shop's logo printed along the sides balanced on one hand. She handed it off to him and stared in confusion when he took out a cash bill. "That's not-"

"Five Hummingbirds," Levi cut in and she smiled and turned to repeat the order to the other girl behind the counter.

His cupcakes with the light green cheesecake frosting were also set into a cardboard box and he gave back the cookies so Petra could bag everything up for him. Levi wouldn't admit to having a sweet tooth because he could control himself whenever he met with a cake or cookie, but it was a well-known fact that nobody could resist a cupcake from The Parlor. Not even him.

"We're thinking of some new recipes to end the summer season with," Petra said while her coworker took care of the next few customers, "So if you have suggestions, do let me know."

"Honey?"

Petra laughed. "That's already in the Hummingbirds."

"And they're the most popular. Put a twist on it. Add a fruit," Levi suggested and pocketed his wallet before taking the bag from her. "Erd likes citrus and his birthday is coming up."

"I know! Don't remind me!" Petra groaned and lowered her face onto the glass counter.

"Your face is going to leave grease," her coworker teased and Petra lightly kicked at her.

"I need to get to work," Levi interrupted and waved before turning to leave.

"Are we still having a party?" Petra asked, half of her attention drawn to the new customer that just walked in.

"If by party you mean he's actually going to drink his own alcohol, yes," he answered.

"Okay. I'll have something ready by then. And I'll try to come by tonight."

Levi nodded and made his way out.

The rain had let up by now and he stashed his desserts onto the floor space behind his chair before starting up his car and heading off to Maria's. Traffic was better, it was already past two o' clock, but he didn't speed along, hardly worried about being on time considering the shop opened later on Fridays.

Gunther's car was already parked in its usual spot and Levi was impressed by the amount of space the cook had left for his car to slide right in next to Erd's. He had just enough room to open up his door once his things were grabbed and he made his way behind the building to the backdoor. After wiping at his damp shoes with the rag someone had left behind, he stepped into the main part of the bar and began unwrapping his umbrella so he could hang it in the stand by the front door to dry.

"Hey, Levi," Gunter called from the kitchen doorway.

"From Petra," was his returned greeting as he held up the plastic bag in his hand. Erd chose at that time to open up his office door and wave, his work phone cradled against his ear, and his eyes widened in curiosity at seeing what Levi was setting down on the table.

"I'll call you back then," Levi heard him say as he was placing his messenger bag in the usual spot. He tossed his phone in and when he turned and headed off to the kitchen for a drink and to check up on Gunther, Erd was already picking through one of the boxes.

"I got Hummingbirds," Levi told Erd though his friend was already picking through the second box, no surprise.

He disappeared into the kitchen where Gunther was cutting up potatoes to fry up later and eased himself around the busy cook so he could get to the back fridge.

"Everything fine?" he asked while passing by and Gunther reached up to nudge an earbud from his right ear.

"Perfect. Almost. We're running low on oil but I should have enough for the weekend. I already told Erd."

Levi nodded and opened up the fridge. He'd finished off his carton of juice but had saved a bottled drink from the other night, and he took that out and brought it with him back to the table where Erd was devouring the cookies, one of the cupcake wrappers already crumpled on the table.

Levi made a face at the crumbs scattered on the tabletop and swept them with one hand into his waiting open palm, tossing them into the plastic bag.

"Petra is coming by later. Maybe."

Erd shoved another cookie into his mouth. "I should tell her to bring more of these. Actually, you should. She always gives you free stuff."

"Because I don't bug her about it," Levi said and took a sip of his drink, lemon-flavored water that actually tasted more like lemon than he thought it would, which wasn't such a bad thing. After another swig, he twisted the cap back on then took a cupcake for himself, finishing it off quickly and taking his wrapper as well as Erd's to the garbage in the kitchen.

"I need to fix that stuck key in the piano," he called back and gave his hands a wash before heading to the covered instrument in the corner. He scrunched up his nose when he saw little particles floating in the sunlight that came in from the window. "Or maybe I should dust first."

"No need. Eren's coming."

Levi shot him a look of disbelief. "He'll be here to do his homework. I'm not going to wait a few hours sitting in this dustbath until the clock strikes six and he finally picks up a broom."

Levi turned away sharply and started off through the door that led to the house section of the building to retrieve the vacuum and a broom from the cleaning supply closet. He also grabbed a kerchief hanging from a rack, one of the clean ones he kept replenished at the bar, and tied it around his head to cover up his nose and mouth.

One of the downsides to working at Maria's was that the building was old and prone to collecting an endless supply of dust that probably creeped in from areas that had never been cleaned before. Of course, the place was swept and mopped every night after closing time, but that wasn't enough to keep the place entirely clean by Levi's standards which were relatively high due to his physical disposition. His allergies were terrible all year round and he did whatever was needed to prevent himself from going into an endless sneezing fit topped with red eyes and runny nose. However, no matter how much he swept and scrubbed, he'd be met the following day by a new layer of dust, but he didn't give up on clearing the place out every chance he could although over the years his determination had waned.

Erd said nothing when he returned and simply disappeared back into his office with an amused look on his face, shutting the door behind him to block out the oncoming sound of the vacuum cleaner. Levi thoroughly swept the room for dust, from the legs of the piano to the corner plant by the front door and then took up the vacuum, sucking up any remaining dust and swiping over every surface with the powerful nozzle.

He was stringing up the power cord when a knock came to the door and Gunther ran to get it while drying his hands on a towel hanging from his apron pocket. As expected, it was Eren, toting a backpack and already dressed for work even though he wouldn't officially start for another few hours. He removed the oversized headphones from his ears, settling them on his shoulders, and waved to Levi who spared him a nod over his shoulder before heading to the back to return the broom and vacuum, trading them for a bucket and rags. He filled the former up in the large kitchen sink and went to work wiping down every surface once more with a wet cloth, disgusted when the rags actually picked up dust.

"Can I work here?" Eren asked him while pointing to one of the tables and Levi walked over from the bar counter, wiped it down, then said, "Let it dry first," before returning to his previous task.

"You sure love cleaning," Eren noted and tossed his bag onto the tabletop. He zipped it open and pulled out a notebook, textbook, and a pencil case.

"No. I hate dust," Levi curtly replied and dropped the cloth he was using back into the bucket, giving it a quick scrub and squeeze before wiping down the second half of the counter. The rag was thrown back into the bucket and he began taking down all the bottles from the shelves, intent on wiping them down as well as the area they sat on as well.

"Allergies?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

Levi looked behind him to shoot Eren a look but it was lost due to the younger man having his head buried in his book, a pen and highlighter loosely held in one hand. His headphones had remained on his shoulders and in the silence that followed their curt conversation, Levi could hear the soft buzzing noise of music drifting out of the ear phones.

"Turn that off if you're not using it properly."

Eren looked up at him and blinked in confusion. Levi made a motion around his own neck and Eren 'oohed' in surprise before leaning back at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle in his seat to get something from his pocket. He pulled out a square block, small enough to be swallowed probably, and Levi thought it bizarre that that Eren's huge headset was connected to something so tiny.

After a click, Eren removed the device around his neck and looped up the cord, quietly muttering, "Sorry," before thrusting everything into his bag.

Levi turned back to his work and was able to finish up the entire bar area without another word passing between him and Eren. Gunther, as usual, was dancing about in the kitchen to whatever music he had floating through his ears while seasoning the potatoes, and only once did he shuffle out in order to use the bathroom. Erd peeked out from his office, and it was only to check on Eren since, once he spotted him, the office door again was closed without him speaking a word.

The dusting was finished once Levi's cloth passed over the entirety of the piano, and he went to throw out the water through the backdoor, leaving the rags in the bucket for Eren or Jean to clean up later. He washed his hands of any leftover dust then stole into Erd's office unannounced where he rummaged about in one of the drawers for the piano tools.

"Wow. Finally," Erd said without glancing up from whatever book he was reading. Levi didn't bother asking him why he was still in his stuffy, windowless office if he wasn't actually working.

"You mean, 'Thanks,'" he instead replied and was out, leaving the door partially open behind him.

"You know that Erwin guy?" Eren suddenly asked him from across the room. He was looking up from his book and Levi couldn't help but stare at the thickness of his furrowed brows.

"Isn't that obvious?"

"He's my teacher, professor, guy."

Levi looked away from the strain in those brows and headed off to the piano, choosing not to respond to the already known fact.

"Did you know he wrote a book?"

Levi tapped at the key that needed fixing and looked beneath the lid to see if the problem could be seen from here in the strings. Another quick taps, his eyes darting around. No luck.

"Jean isn't even in his class but he was walking with me yesterday and we ran into Professor Smith and he told the guy we work here and saw him the other night."

After pulling out the music stand, Levi set it on the floor before reaching around the keyboard to unscrew the cover. There were minuscule gray flecks on his fingers and palms, and he fought the urge to wipe it off on his pants.

"Then he said - Professor Smith not Jean - said, 'Oh, with Levi?'"

Levi rummaged through the small toolbox, trying to recall how to go about opening up the front panel.

"He said he'd try to come by more often. He's pretty friendly, surprisingly. I thought he'd be more stuck up like the other writing professors."

The end blocks had to be removed first.

"His hair is always combed back perfectly and he's a published author, and his girlfriend is the background for his computer."

Then the slab of wood would slide out. They weren't screwed in.

"I see her every time he uses the projector. She's actually pretty."

"Are you done?"

Half-turned on the piano bench, dust floating around him from maneuvering the pieces that hadn't been shifted in a while, Levi stared straight into Eren's eyes, the front panel midway from being pulled out gripped tightly between his ten fingers. Eren rapidly blinked a countless number of times and shut his mouth, returning the gaze with a blank expression.

"Study," Levi calmly ordered, "You're on shift in two hours and I won't be so lenient with you today. Friday is busy, as you know."

Eren's chin tucked in as he bowed his head and returned to reading whatever he'd been caught up in before. Levi regarded his stiff form for a few more seconds before sliding the panel out completely and setting it on the floor beside all the other pieces with a soft grunt. After some thought, he realized he probably couldn't solve his key problem on his own and decided he would call someone to come in and give the piano a tuning session on top of checking out the problem. For now, he would dust as much of the inside as he could. Rubbing the dust on his hands into little balls that stuck together by the sweat of his palm, Levi got up and headed to the back closet once more.


End file.
